Introduction On Child Safeguarding Integrated Resources
In 2018, Plan Hong Kong began the “Child Safeguarding Policy” Movement in Hong Kong, proposing 20 standards across four categories: Policy, Procedure, People & Culture, and Accountability. We call for action from all child-related organisations to set up their Child Safeguarding Policy and take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to harm as a result of their contact with their organisation by setting a clear set of standards and guidelines about how to make an organisation safe for children in its governance and activities. The establishment of clear guidelines and boundaries in conjunction with current regulations and operational needs, to remind staff to avoid behavior that could be seen as inappropriate to protect the reputation of the staff and the organisation.
1. The “Kindergarten Child Safeguarding Practice Manual”
The “Kindergarten Child Safeguarding Practice Manual” (also known as “the Toolkit”) is a comprehensive guide for kindergartens to develop their own “Child Safeguarding Policy.” Written by Plan Hong Kong in collaboration with cross-disciplinary professional advisors, the toolkit is one of the free integrated resources on “Child Safeguarding” provided by Plan Hong Kong and is fully sponsored by the Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation.
Understanding that frontline teaching staff are busy with teaching work, they will need a concise and practical set of guidelines that combine various resources while offering convenient and efficient support and training. Therefore, we began drafting the Toolkit for the early childhood education sector since 2021, with input from 21 professional advisors from the education, social welfare, medical, and legal sectors, as well as participation from the management/ frontline staff of 16 kindergartens for pilot reading. Our goal is to make the content of the guidelines more relevant to the needs of local early childhood education institutions.
Key Content of the “Kindergarten Child Safeguarding Practice Manual”
- Key elements of CSP and its formulation
- How to implement risk assessment for children in various activities
- How to engage staff from recruitment and training in safeguarding children and sustainable development in CSP
- Response and reporting mechanism of handling potential child abuse cases
- How to communicate with different stakeholders and maintenance of accountability system
- Situation analysis on Child Safeguarding scenarios
- Resources and Document Templates
Download the e-copy:
“Kindergarten Child Safeguarding Practice Manual” (Chinese)
“Kindergarten Child Safeguarding Practice Manual” (English)
The Chinese printed version of the guideline has been distributed to one thousand kindergartens across Hong Kong in April 2023. If you would like to obtain a copy, please fill out this form. Please note that the printed version is only available in Chinese and that quantities are limited and distribution will cease once all copies have been distributed.
2. Child Safeguarding Online Learning Platform (Child Safeguarding E-Certificate Programme)
Plan International Hong Kong also developed an Online Learning Platform for all Kindergartens who are interested in formulating their CSP, to provide necessary training and useful resources for all staff and relevant personnel.
The Platform offers three levels of certificate programmes (in Chinese) including 1) Foundation Certificate in Child Safeguarding 2) Child Safeguarding for Professionals and 3) Executive Management in Child Safeguarding. This interactive platform aims to create a learning journey for users to familiarise themselves with CSP in a progressive approach to understanding the key concepts in Child Safeguarding as well as the knowledge of the Toolkit by Plan International Hong Kong, supplemented with reference to existing guidelines and legislation. The Foundation Certificate Programme will be available in Apr 2023 and the other 2 courses will be available in the following months.
